Carolina Connections – September Newsletter
| The May chapter conference session reports are now available on the chapter website for distribution, register for our hybrid education event on breaking into medical writing on Oct 15th, and save the dates for our AMWA national conference chapter dinner in Phoenix on Nov 06th and our Fall journal club on Nov 12th. We are also proud to feature Amber Carr in our newsletter for the rollout of our member of the month initiative! We also have a call for volunteers for our 2026 Chapter Conference Committee and present a summary of our 2025 third quarter chapter events. |
Spring Chapter Conference Session Reports
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| The AMWA Carolinas chapter conference’s education session reports are now available on our website here, and are a good way to get an overview of the key takeaways of the education sessions. The reports are open to the public, so please share the above link with any colleagues who might be interested in any of the reports’ contents. A big thank you to all of our session reporters, peer reviewers, and our session reporter coordinator for getting these reports out! Session Reporter Coordinator: Michaela Price Session Reporters: Melissa Growney; Diana Henzel; Madelyn Mauterer; Laura Sommerville; Kylie VanDerMolen Reviewers: Melissa Growney; Diana Henzel; Madelyn Mauterer; Michaela Price; Kylie VanDerMolen |
September’s Member of the Month
 We are proud to announce that Amber Carr, the Carolinas Chapter’s Student Volunteer Coordinator, was featured in the AMWA Journal’s summer issue. The article, which is in the Around the Career Block section of the journal, describes Amber’s career journey and offers practical tips for aspiring regulatory writers. Amber is also featured on the chapter’s website here and the article can be accessed here, page 24. We want to hear from you and celebrate you – our chapter members! Do you have a professional achievement that you would like to share with the Carolinas membership in the chapter newsletter and on our chapter website? Professional achievements cover a range of items, from being selected to present an education session/poster at the AMWA national conference in Phoenix, receiving an award, or being featured in/writing an article for the AMWA journal. If you have a professional success that you would like to share, please submit a brief summary for consideration. To view our past member highlights on the chapter website, click here. |
October 15th: Registration Open for Our Education Event on Breaking Into Medical Writing
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| Register for our fall hybrid educational event Pipettes Down, Pencils Up: Charting a Course Towards a Career in Medical Writing. The event is open to AMWA members and non-members. Enjoy an hour of networking, appetizers, and drinks, followed by a 90-minute seminar led by Jayanika Samaranayake, the AMWA Carolinas chapter president, and Abigail Agoglia, the AWMA Carolinas chapter president-elect. This seminar will walk attendees through: • An overview of the different types of medical writing • Insights into transferable skills needed for the job • Practical strategies for networking and maintaining professional connections • Resume tips and application strategies that help you stand out • Guidance on excelling in interviews and writing tests In addition, attendees will gain access to resources that can help you build the right skills, along with personal lessons learned, common challenges, and candid insights into industry expectations. Special thanks goes to Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, for their sponsorship contributions towards this event! Date: Wed Oct 15th, 2025 Location: NC Biotechnology Center in Durham Time: Networking reception from 5:30 to 6:30 pm (in-person only), seminar from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (hybrid) Cost before Oct 1st: $25 in-person employed, $15 in-person student/unemployed; $15 for remote attendees. Cost after Oct 1st: $35 in-person employed, $25 in-person student/unemployed; $15 for remote attendees. Register here by Oct 1st to get the best pricing! |
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November 6th: Chapter Dinner at the AMWA National Conference in Phoenix
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| The in-person AMWA national conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, from Nov 5th to 8th. SAVE THE DATE for our Carolinas chapter dinner on Thu, Nov 6th! Venue and registration details to be sent via email to the conference registrants in early October. Program details |
November 12th: Fall Chapter Journal Club
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| SAVE THE DATE for a guided group discussion led by Steven Greer on the following article from the 2025 summer issue of the AMWA Journal: The Evolving Role of Medical Writers: AI as a Partner in Regulatory Submissions. The report can be accessed here, page 4. Please read the report ahead of time to be able to gain the most out of the discussion. Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2025 Location: Virtual Time: 6:30 to 7:30 pm EST Registration link: to be provided in the Oct newsletter |
November 13th: NCRAF Roundtable Dinner
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| Registration for NCRAF’s annual in-person roundtable dinner is now open! The event will feature a networking reception with complimentary bar, followed by a full dinner and discussions at several tables. Each table will have a different speaker and discussion topic on regulatory affairs. Date: Thursday, November 13th Time: 5:30 – 8:30 pm Location: North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham, NC 27713 Cost before October 29th: $75/nonmember, $50/standard member, $30 student/unemployed jobseeker member Cost after October 29th: $85/nonmember, $60/standard member, $40 student/unemployed jobseeker member Register here |
Join our 2026 Chapter Conference Committee
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| Planning for our hybrid chapter conference (save the date for Fri May 15th, 2026!) starts this fall, as we move to a new venue in Durham. Our conference committee is a great opportunity to engage with our chapter, expand your professional network, sharpen your collaboration and project management skills. The committee meets approximately every other week and offers roles with varying levels of time commitment. If you have interest in joining the conference committee, please complete our Volunteer Interest Form. If you have filled the form in the past but did not indicate an interest in volunteering for the chapter conference committee, feel free to submit the form again. |
Volunteer With Our Chapter! Call for LNCs and Risk-Management Assistant
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| We are in search of a local networking coordinator in the Charlotte area. If you live in that area and would like to organize a small dinner/networking event for the members in your area, please volunteer! Being an LNC is as easy as picking a restaurant, date and time, and letting us know. We will advertise the event in the monthly newsletter and set up a registration link for members to sign up. This can be either a short-term or long-term role. We are also looking for a volunteer to support the chapter’s risk-management and business continuity goals. This is a short-term role. If you are interested in filling any of the above roles, please complete our Volunteer Interest Form. If you have filled the form in the past but did not indicate an interest in this role, feel free to submit the form again and state ‘LNC-Charlotte’ or ‘Risk Management Assistant’ under ‘Other’. |
Third Quarter Chapter Events Recap
| July We had a fun, in-person summer networking event at Transfer Co Food Hall in Raleigh that was open to chapter members and non-members! Big thanks to everyone who attended for the great company and conversation. August The chapter organized our first in-person summer yoga event led by one of our chapter directors, Molly Rodriguez, in the Research Triangle Park area. Molly led us through gentle stretching and breathing exercises, after which attendees went to an Indian restaurant nearby for dinner! September The chapter held its third annual hybrid professional career development panel session with NCRAF on the role of freelancers and consultants in regulatory affairs and medical writing. The event had a whopping 90 registrants, starting with an in-person networking hour with appetizers and drinks, followed by a 90-minute hybrid discussion co-moderated by Laura Sommerville and Batu Sharma. A very special thanks goes to our 4 panelists Dorothy Keine, Erin O’Reilly,Tara Hun-Dorris, and Maria Oyaski for sharing their knowledge and expertise with the audience! The planning committee comprised Abigail Agoglia and Jayanika Samaranayake representing AMWA, along with Maria Oyaski, Batu Sharma, and Sheila Plant representing NCRAF.  |
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